2 FEB 05: I FOUGHT THE LAW?

Ooh boy - the trickle of e-mail messages about Columbus public safety is turning into a flood. But that's OK, I can handle it. As long as I don't hit the "reply" button, my e-mail account might decide it's all spam....

Let's take the week's e-mails (and we won't get to all of them today) in the order we received them. First, someone sending a Tim Chitwood newspaper column about the January 15 civil rights march. The message came titled, "It's just a banana!!!!" I saw this title, and wondered if the police force couldn't afford handguns anymore.

If you didn't read this column, someone at Jesse Jackson's civil rights march reportedly took offense at security officers being provided bananas. The person claimed that sent a wrong racial message. Imagine if a bakery had shown up with loaves of white bread.

Then came another message from the mysterious "IsOurCitySafe" - aimed right at me:

I see that some people are paying attention to my emails even if they think it's a joke. The two officers in church [30 Jan] were working a part-time job in order to feed their families. Lord knows this city doesnt care about our families or our pay. I wonder if the blog will be laughing when its his family that needs the Police and the only officer that responds cant read or write. Or better yet, a Police officer doesnt respond at all. Its always funny until it happens to you.

The following was sent to me by a friend:

As you can tell by reading this......the Blog writer does not, and is not taking the officers comments seriously......he just doesn't know how right this officer is. We are in trouble and those officers that care all know it. Hope the Blog writer doesn't find out the hard way. He doesn't even realize that those 2 officers at the church service were WORKING PART TIME JOBS. Sad isn't it? And he is right....."is our city safe" shouldn't like reading this. Did you?

Yes, I AM paying attention to you. Perhaps to some people I'm paying too much attention, but at least I'm doing it....

Since the e-mailer keeps bringing it up: Columbus police have visited my apartment complex several times over the years - for everything from vandalism to a killing. In every case, I recall officers doing their jobs well. For all I know, the suspect who was cleared in the killing may have been Gray Conger's fault.

But isn't it nice to know Columbus Police are allowed to wear full uniforms in their part-time jobs patrolling church services? It makes them a lot like referees at high school basketball games.

Our next e-mail also concerns the officers at last weekend's church service:

I'm not sure that you are fully understanding the concept of "part time" police work. These officers are off-duty and have taken part time security jobs as supplemental income. So, in reality, they are working overtime on a part time job because their full time jobs DON'T PAY THE BILLS! What a sad state of reality this town is coming to...

And the difference between these officers and Wal-Mart employees is.... well, WHAT exactly?

= = = ONE E-MAIL HAS BEEN DELETED, AT REQUEST OF PERSON MENTIONED IN IT = = =

But wait - the e-mails keep on coming:

I am getting terribly confused by these e-mails. Some of the city's safety problems have been addressed (I did NOT say handled) in the Letters to the Editor in the newspaper, but the problems keep swirling around and around. Does the information contained in these emails get where it is intended? What does the average citizen do when they have concern but are not sure that the emails are even being seen much less read? For instance, do the names listed read these emails? You are right. Just let the right person have the wrong thing happen and something might get done.

How many times do people have to be reminded that uniformed police officers seen at churches are working on their own time being paid by those churches? They are NOT working for the city at those times. Might I add that those part-time jobs are paying much more per hour than the city pays them. God bless them for doing what they have to do to support their families.

And while I am at it: what happens when Columbus gets army personnel who have been serving in other countries where they have had to be ready to fight for their lives. Many times they come back to us and have not had the proper help in assisting them to live in a "friendly" environment. They may still feel under pressure to.... fight for their lives. How will our safety workers who are already spread so thin be able to lend assistance to these individuals and families who might come up against a time of crisis?

This city is one of unrest. What will it take? I don't know for sure. I guess we will just have to hit rock bottom and then come up for air. It's a shame, isn't it?

If you're getting "terribly confused" by these e-mails, imagine how I feel. I'm almost getting as many of these things as I am offers for discount-priced Viagra.

It's sad to learn the Columbus public safety problems are not being "handled" in the Ledger-Enquirer's letters section. But then again, I wonder if public safety officers have been able to handle some of Kaffie Sledge's recent columns.

As for the "names listed" reading all these e-mails - they're being sent to a long chain of InBoxes. They're addressed not only to me, but to city officials and media outlets. And I think Alan Quin of "Sunny 100-FM" made the list because his station sometimes plays songs by The Police.

And about those army personnel - that's a sure way to raise the bar in this discussion. Imply some members of Fort Benning's Third Brigade will come home from Iraq as crazed psychopaths....

"This city is one of unrest" - aw, c'mon now! If that's true, someone should have been arrested at Jesse Jackson's march....

Had enough yet? I hope not, because another e-mail apparently was aimed at our blog:

Obviously, this person who is responding to the "Is Our City Safe" is either an idiot, or just patronizing the police. I think, or hope, he knows that when he sees officers standing around in uniform at churches or businesses, they are working what is commonly called "part time jobs". The term "part time job" is really misleading. It would be better termed "over time jobs". The officers that work over time jobs are doing so after their regular work hours. This means, Mr. Idiot or Mr. Patronizer (I can only hope you read this), that the officers are working after they get off from regular duty or working their off days.

I am an officer that works these extra jobs to make ends meet. This means I see a whole lot less of my wife and kids then I prefer. I do not consider having to work all these extra jobs a "privilege", as our old Mayor stated. The situation puts a strain on every officer that has to work them. So, when a citizen mocks this fact, it really upsets me.

I have worked for this city as an officer for 5 years. I have a bachelor's degree. I have yet to earn $2,000 more in annual salary than when I started. Maybe I'm crazy, but I think that is ridiculous.

How people can think its funny that their Police Department CANNOT retain their experienced officers is beyond me. How someone can think we are not "short" on officers is beyond me. Here is a fun fact: I recently answered a Burglary In Progress call at about 12:30 AM. The original call came into 911 at 10:30 PM. Headquarters was not able to send an officer to the IN PROGRESS call for 2 hours (which is when I came on duty). This is not unusual, more like the norm.

Yeah, everything is fine here in Columbus.

At least we know for sure here that we have a police officer's viewpoint. Thank you for sharing it -- and I'll resist the urge to report you to the Citizen's Review Committee for calling an interested resident an idiot.

So in Columbus, a police "part-time job" is really an overtime job?! How many Burger King employees will try to take advantage of that knowledge, to get extra money?

If Columbus Police "CANNOT retain their experienced officers," how do we explain the many exceptions to that statement? There's Chief Rick Boren. There's Russell Traino of the Metro Squad. There's.... well, there WAS David Glisson, in that other
department....

Letters such as this one leave me twisting for an appropriate response. I should praise the Columbus Police officers for the work they do - yet I'm supposed to be upset that they're doing it two hours "behind the curve." I suppose the phrase "better late than never" can work in law enforcement, even if it doesn't at the tax preparation office.

To all the writers taking me to task here, I'd refer you back to the e-mail which started all this. It was "just a banana" - and I'm just a humor blogger. But I'm one taking extra care right now to drive at the speed limit....

The task of finding funds for Columbus police was passed to new hands Tuesday night. Columbus Council voted to make Isaiah Hugley City Manager - which already will save money, in terms of lobbying the Georgia Legislature. After all, Rep. Carolyn Hugley is the new City Manager's wife.

This appointment is a reminder of how a few families hold a lot of power in Columbus. The new City Manager is married to a state lawmaker. The police chief is married to an election board official. The school board president is married to a former city attorney. So it's no wonder people watch every woman Judge Bobby Peters dates.

Isaiah Hugley makes history as the city's first African-American City Manager. He promised Columbus Council in an acceptance speech he'll work for "One Columbus." Some civil rights leaders won't believe that until he orders police to invade the Sheriff's Department office.

After his appointment, City Manager Isaiah Hugley said a ten-percent cut in the public safety budget would be "unacceptable." So what do you think - will the final cut be closer to five percent, or eight?

So is anything else being discussed around here? Believe it or not, the answer Tuesday was yes:

+ Developers revealed their plans to renovate downtown Phenix City. They include a marina, new downtown college campuses, an expanded Russell County Courthouse - why, I saw everything except that new movie theater Mayor Jeff Hardin campaigned about.

+ The Lumpkin Public Library reopened, after being closed three months. It apparently took a long time to find magnets large enough to stop those thugs with brass knuckles.

+ Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller hinted he might file legal action, in the wake of the Habitat board in Americus firing him and his wife. After about 30 years with Habitat projects, we can be sure Fuller knows how to build a case....

(Despite the firing, Fuller told WRBL he plans to fulfill his upcoming speaking schedule on behalf of Habitat for Humanity. So when audiences show appreciation by donating money to him, will that be a "love offering" or not?)

+ Alabama Governor Bob Riley told state lawmakers he "does not need gambling to balance my budget." I fear some gamblers will take this the wrong way. They'll organize private poker games, and presume the state won't fine them.

+ Instant Message to WCGT-TV 16: About that "Urban Rebounder" exercise device you're offering in infomercials - do you have a rural version for people in Harris County?

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© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.

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